1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a bicycle seat which comfortably supports a bicycle rider.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bicycle seats have a generally horizontal profile with a narrow front-end section, the nose or horn, and a wider, flared tail section with a concave intermediate section for thigh clearance. They include a pliable, semi-rigid molded plastic, or nylon shell, over which conforming padding material is placed, and finally a leather, plastic, or vinyl cover is fitted.
A bicycle seat must support the rider comfortably for rides of long duration and aid the rider in controlling and stabilizing the bicycle. It is well known to bicycle riders that the conventional saddle can cause chafing, blistering, bruising, and possibly injury to the rider. A primary cause of discomfort is the pressure exerted on sensitive areas of the body (i.e. the sacral, coccal, ischial, and perineal/genital regions) when the weight of the rider rests on a traditional bicycle seat.
There have been various attempts in the prior art to design bicycle seats that provide greater comfort and hygienic safety.
In order to provide greater comfort to the rider, the prior art teaches pre-forming concave regions into the horizontal seat surface corresponding to the pelvic bone and perineum regions of the rider. The purpose is to reduce compression on the pudendal arteries and nerves while not interfering with movement of the rider's legs in the pedaling motion.
Another way to add comfort to a bicycle seat is by adding a cushioning material to the seat surface. A cloth cover or like material is selectively stuffed with a flexible and resisting material to form soft cushion lobes in strategically placed ridges to support the pelvic bones of the rider. However, excessive movement or grinding of the pelvic areas can cause bruising, groin pain, numbness, urethritis, neuritis, seat sores, and chafing.
These problems can be aggravated by friction and pressure t exerted on the blood vessels and nerves along the inner and underside of the rider's pelvic region. The front-end section (nose) of a traditional seat fits directly against the pelvic structures. This results in occlusion of arteries and veins supplying blood flow to the penis and clitoris, as well as, compression of local nerves as they are sandwiched between the nose of the bicycle seat and the bony structures of the anterior pelvis. The resultant outcome is a numbing effect or paresthesia, as reported by many cyclists that can result in sustained paresthesia of the groin and penis, delayed or immediate impotence, and perhaps even an elevated prostate specific antigen.
Recent studies have linked perinea pressure caused by traditional bicycle seats to urinary tract and yeast infections. Sitting on traditional bicycle seats can compress tender genital tissues against the seat causing irritation to the genitals.
In both male and female riders the crotch area contains nerves and pudendal arteries leading to the genetals. In the male, the pudendal artery carries blood flow that enables erection. Sitting on a traditional bicycle seat can increase the pressure in the pudendal arteries causing a decrease in blood flow for both men and women. This decrease in blood flow may cause numbness potentially leading to impotency in certain male bicycle riders. (Numbness is caused by compression of the pudendal nerve. However, compression of the artery is not something a rider feels.
In order to overcome these problems, the prior art provides seats with a groove at the nose portion of the bicycle seat, which results in a right side nose portion separated by a gap from the left side nose portion (split nose). The opening is intended to reduce the pressure but does not always work, and sometimes creates even more pressure exerted on the genital area by the rider's weight on the seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,309, to Gootter, et al., discloses a split nose seat design.
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 417,560, to Tollefson et al., teaches a split nose design that is essentially a traditional bicycle seat with a split nose; consequently the width of the nose section is relatively narrow, about 40 mm or less. Merely adding a gap to the narrow nose structure of a traditional saddle does not appear to provide much, if any, benefits.
An improved split-nose bicycle seat contoured to fully support the coccyx, sacrum, and ischium bones, while providing a relieved area for the perineum/genital regions, was disclosed by the present inventor in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/685,311, filed Jan. 11, 2010, incorporated herein by reference. This prior design provides support for the tissues and musculature surrounding the aforementioned pelvic areas.
However, there is still need for a seat which helps the rider to assume several differing positions on the seat while avoiding undesirable pressure on the rider's perineum. Primarily female riders, but some male riders too, have reported small areas of tenderness, contusions and abrasions to the perineal space of their bodies.
The front arms of my prior saddle are relatively flat on top, and, at the front ends feature 90 degree angles traveling to the bottoms of the base of the front arms. These regions of 90 degree angle support the rider's body at the top of the pubic rami, placing the rider's weight on both pubic rami and the superficial perineal space, and act as a point approximately 8 mm-15 mm in diameter which can create a pressure/friction area, causing contusions or abrasions of the perineum.
I have found that by extending the front arms further forward and providing, a downward slope to the nose area (drooped nose) this keeps the pubic rami supported comfortably by the front arms while the pudendal nerve and the pudendal artery remain free of compression, thereby avoiding abrasions within the perineal space.
I have also found that by increasing the width of the prior seat near the mid-section it reduces the vertical angle of the outside edges of the saddle and allows for reduced or softer contact with the adductor muscles in the legs and the hamstring muscles in the buttocks. This gentle side slope provides for more surface area to come into contact with the pubic rami and the superficial perineal space, and absorbs the contact pressure evenly over a larger area, reducing the isolated pressure point on the body. The pudendal artery and pudendal nerve continue to be free of compression with this new design.